“Will,” I say, reaching the camellias. I press my hand against my chest, trying to catch my breath. Deep pinks and oranges stain the sky.648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ZZNt1OyFH
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7oGISulGL
“What are you doing here?” Madame Pommier stands up from behind the camellia shrubs, an emerald pendant in her hand.648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFuVLy4qWr
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6TEAhSbLTi
“What are you doing here?” I say with surprise and a tiny prick of irritation at seeing her in our secret place.648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZh1cQgNJix
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmG6hRe8Kr4
“The veil is thinnest here,” she says. “This is where I’m sealing it off.”648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnF0FCnFQkW
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2XTwSBgdsH
My heart catches. “No, wait. Please. Can you stop it for just a little while?”648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLLhrq8WKEi
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJTsnQ1EQNk
She shakes her head. “Once it starts, it can’t be stopped.”648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ55OqyT7uzq
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLCG9uuSeyh
“No,” I murmur, clutching the bottom of my sweater. Will.648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVdb8uXW7o
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJqa3a1X2T
“Cami.”648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQ6SEseJyL
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvbmCl39dMA
My head snaps up. Roanna stands there, her giant curls wilder than usual. Her specs reflect the sunset, so I can’t see her eyes.648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWeI7zz7Fdt
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJflfq6Tcc
In my selfish desire to be with Will, I finally see Roanna’s side.648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYcBlHjrY3Y
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVWvRzbfrc
“You were right, Ro,” I say, my voice breaking. “I’m sorry.”648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXrziUhWb9B
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUWZzQFzkIG
Roanna hurries to my side and hugs me.648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64s5NYe1zJ
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUgXsgF276
“Cami,” an even softer voices says.648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8car5SDc2S
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6Jfg24mUI
All three of us look up. It’s Will, but it looks like I’m seeing him through a frosted window. I release Roanna and take three big steps forward so I’m directly in from of him. I hesitantly reach a hand out, almost expecting it to go through him.648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkkqDru6tU
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLjwSKVqyUg
“Cami! No!” Madame Pommier says sharply. “If you touch him with this closing in progress, we have no idea what it could do. You could be pulled into his time.”648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxuZ6wLj5kp
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTYHDS8rX05
“Or he could be pulled into ours,” Roanna says.648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZsOI6eBMwr
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIt7LJnGB9A
Her gaze is off to the side. I follow her gaze and see a pretty, young nurse standing there, faint and transparent like Will is. She watches us with wide eyes.648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG880vyRMqS
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6hVdd0MIh
“There will have to be an exchange,” Madame Pommier says. “Equivalent exchange.”648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJFu9N4guY
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Jn3Jce91o
“Do it,” Roanna says quietly. “It’ll be okay. I understand now. I belong there.”648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2p6CLnT8IF
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4fgbVUToWg
There’s a finality to her gaze that terrifies me, but the sun is going down quickly, and there’s very little chance to think about it.648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBHHuZCH2m
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRdKsnPvCh
“Can’t you both stay?” I ask. My voice barely comes out.648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqM7YC38EsS
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡea6qWgrQFQ
She shakes her head and walks over to the nurse, holding a hand up. Turning her head to face Will, she says, “Just do it. Touch her.”648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqLaUqahAN2
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNcysRyPBt
“Stop it. I can’t allow you to do this,” Madame Pommier says. But she seems unable to move out of the circle she’s made in the dirt.648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Q93YpDLRQ
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx9EQvD4TKw
Will’s hand closes around mine, and the image of him begins to sharpen at the same time as Roanna’s image begins to dim and frost over. She smiles at me. Her hand is locked with the nurse’s.648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbAvgl0vw4S
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHEqreSWIYO
“Goodbye, Cami.” Even if I can’t see the tears in her eyes, I can hear them in her voice.648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2ZRiZ8Oas
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZAjLpCY8BR
I want to reach out toward her, but Will anchors me in place. He pulls me closer to his body—which is warmer than it’s ever been before—and watches her. Through him, I can see he recognizes within Roanna the longing to be elsewhere and how it feels to belong somewhere other than where you are.648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv7apUWcrc6
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvqNNROX8e
“It’s a psychiatric hospital,” I tell her, even though it’s already too late. “You don’t want to go there. You don’t want to be a patient.”648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMzlC0TMhu
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyvPydOxXKr
“A patient?” Now I hear the smile in her words. “I intend to be a doctor. Cami, there’s one more thing you need to do.”648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLfuP9dC7ze
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHN1hlTTZUJ
And somehow, I know what it is.648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3lbJMkNHyb
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYlj1JGKbsD
“Cami, don’t,” Madame Pommier says, taking a step toward me.648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡysbY1iDWmf
648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5sOMN5GTOK
The emerald glints in the vanishing light. I thread my arms around Will’s neck and pull his mouth down to mine.648Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbcdd80A7yG
Penana
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